Monti dell’Uccellina: aka the Maremma Nature Park or Parco Naturale Regionale della Maremma, is 3200 hectares of forest-covered hills that run parallel to the coast but the Park is not just trees, there is also marshland and a plain around the stretch of the Ombrone River where it reaches the sea and where there are wonderful beaches. The forest is mostly holm oak, the trees smaller on the coastal side due to the sea winds and heat drying out the leaves so in places trees give way to scrub, but are larger on the north and east facing slopes where there is more water and they are protected by the hills. There are also cork oak trees and pines. This is an important stopping off point for migratory birds and although they are not easy to see there are also wild boar, deer, foxes, wolves;, badgers, martens, wild cat and porcupine. Maremma cattle are also grazed in the Park – they’re an old breed with long horns and can spend all year outside, in the marshy areas during summer and shelltered by woodland in the winter: I understand that they are still tended by butteri, the famous cowboys on horseback.
The Monti dell’Uccellina are the hills (not mountains) that we could see from our agriturismo, Il Duchesco, and walks uphlll through the farmland there lead to the edge of the Park. There’s a lot to see in the Maremma Park including ahe remains of the 11th century Benedictine Abbey, San Rabano, recently restored; it has a watch tower and was probably fortified by the Knights Templar in the 14th century.
The Park was established in 1975 mainly to protect the forest from developers who were building more and more resorts along the coast. Today it is an important destination for lovers of wildlife and outdoor activities but there are strictt rules to follow; these can be found on the website for Parco della Maremma. In summer it is sometimes necessary to restrict the numbers entering the Park: Tickets and maps can be obtained from the Visitor Centre in Alberese or online, although in winter and spring I think they can only be purchased online. There are several walking and cycling routes around the Park and canoes, horses and bikes can be hired but guides may be needed for some activities and definitely required for groups of over 20. Our small group just walked around a lower, open area near Alberese and saw several large green lizzards, wild flowers and many butterflies, including Green-underside Blue. There are two walking trails to the monastery/abbey and church of San Rabano but the one that starts in Alberese is the shortest route.
I’d like to make another visit to the Park one day, probably in the Spring again, but I’m not sure how easy it would be to travel around independently without a car. There’s a mainline railway nearby and there used to be a railway station at Alberese, now closed,; however there is a bus depot in Alberese but I don’t know how good the service is. I think in summer shuttle buses run from Grosseto to the Maremma Nature Park although personally I would not like to have a holiday in the Maremma in the summer.
